


Struggles of a socially inept mute

by SpaceGaysForDays



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Shin-ah has social anxiety, Slight ASL, Zeno is a ray of sunshine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 15:37:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12938364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceGaysForDays/pseuds/SpaceGaysForDays
Summary: A Yona of the Dawn college AU fanfictionShin-ah struggled talking on the best of days. So when he meets a bubbly boy who insists on becoming his friend, what's he supposed to do?(Might add more description and title later)





	1. First meeting

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've wrote fanfiction and I'm really hoping it doesn't show. These boys deserve more love and talking to my friend has really helped me start thinking more about them.

Shin-ah knew starting college was going to be hard...He knew this...But somehow, he'd convinced himself it'd be okay....Until he set foot onto the campus. Within minutes he'd had three things happen to him.

1\. A boy on a skateboard almost slammed into him  
2\. A group of girls had seen #1 and proceeded to laugh at him  
3\. Shin-ah had already found himself lost.

It really shouldn't be that hard to find the library. After all, he'd toured the campus with Ao before even coming here. This should be easy...At least, he thought. After about 10 minutes of searching, he had to admit defeat as it was getting closer and closer to the time that his first class was supposed to meet. At this rate he'd never make it...

Shin-ah had begun to accept defeat right when a voice spoke up, "Excuse me!" 

The blue haired boy's eyes traveled around, finally landing on a boy with messy blond hair standing in front of him. Shin-ah briefly wondered if he'd done something offensive without realizing it but the blond boy didn't seem to be upset. In fact, he was smiling brightly, as if he'd just won the lottery. Was...Was he really trying to talk to him? That question was easily answered when the boy waved and spoke again, "Hey, I was wondering if you were alright. You seemed a bit lost..." Had he really seemed that lost? Shin-ah must've made a face because the boy waved his hand dismissively as he added, "I don't think anyone else could really tell. I'm just good at reading people. My name's Zeno!" 

Shin-ah watched him for a minute before nodding and whispering, "Shin-ah."

Blond boy, Zeno, smiled again at him, "Well Shin-ah, where are you trying to go. I'm pretty much an expert when it comes to this campus so I can help you find your way." His offer was tempting but Shin-ah's mouth suddenly felt dry. Talking to strangers was...Definitely not his strong suit. In fact, he couldn't talk to strangers to save his life. That was why he typically chose not to talk at all when strangers were involved. It was way more preferable to speak with his hands...But he had no idea if this boy spoke sign language so he wasn't sure if that was even an option.

While he fretted over his need to get to class vs. his need to not talk to other people, he must've subconsciously signed 'book'. Because Zeno's face brightened even more (If that was even possible) and he'd instantly clapped his hands together. "Are you looking for the library?" He asked in a gentle tone. Like he was speaking to a small animal that might bolt at the first loud noise which...Wasn't inaccurate actually. Shin-ah quickly nodded his confirmation to the question before he could act even weirder and stared as Zeno began pointing, "It's over here past the...Ya know what..." Zeno seemed to be mumbling to himself for a moment before he turned back to Shin-ah. 

"How about I walk you there? That's where I'm going right now anyways." His question was polite and he didn't seem to have any sort of motive behind the question but Shin-ah still felt like he should say no...Still, he really needed to get to this class. So against his better judgement, he nodded and followed the bubbly boy towards where he prayed the library was.

To Shin-Ah's relief, they not only made it to the library, they made it there with five minutes to spare. Meaning Shin-ah had plenty of time to find a nice seat in the back. He settled into the seat, making sure he had his stuff put on the table before he turned to see that Zeno had sat next to him. "..." Shin-ah stared at him for a moment until Zeno realized that Shin-ah was looking at him. 

"Need help?" The blond questioned. 

Shin-ah shook his head, pointing at the seat so he knew what he was trying to ask. Zeno took the hint quickly and laughed, "I guess we're in the same class. I didn't realize it till I noticed you come to this room too." That...At least answered one question. Though Shin-ah now was left to question why Zeno had chosen to sit next to him of all people. Even if he hadn't wanted to sit by anyone else, there were plenty of empty seats. So why next to him? His brain kind of shut that thought process down as the professor walked in and began going over the syllabus. Ah well, not like he really needed to worry about it for now.

Correction: He really should've worried about it because it seemed like Zeno just attracted attention. Everyone in the class seemed to know him and if they didn't know him, he made sure to introduce himself. Even the professor seemed to already know who he was. Shin-ah just kept sinking further and further into his seat, hoping and praying that class would just go by as fast as possible and he'd be able to get out of here. How could someone handle so much attention at one time? Class seemed to end quickly (Considering it was the first day, he should've expected that.) and Shin-ah had hoped to leave so he could get a jump start on looking at apartments...Until he felt a hand on his arm.

Looking down, he noticed it was Zeno holding onto him gently. "Sorry!" Zeno quickly removed his hand and gave him a sheepish grin. "I was just...I was just wondering if you'd be willing to exchange numbers with me. It's always really helpful to have friend in these classes. In case we need help studying or...I dunno...Anything really." Shin-ah's eyebrows furrowed for a minute. He...He wasn't sure. No one had really asked for his number before. Especially not someone who seemed to radiate so much happiness and warmth it would put the sun to shame. The idea of giving his number to someone like him seemed like a mistake...Sadly, it seemed to be a mistake Shin-ah was willing to make. 

Exchanging numbers quickly, he left to head off to look for apartments until his next class.

As he walked away from the library, his phone buzzed and he checked it only to see a message from Zeno that said, 'Welcome to Kouka U. Shin-ah 


	2. Apartment Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shin-ah looks for an apartment, goes about as well as you can expect until a certain girl points him in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Can't believe I'm really doing this
> 
> This chapter took a while because I've been distracted lately with lots of other things but I really hope it turned out alright anyways!

Finding a place to sit as he searched for apartments wasn't too bad. Most people didn't want to be in the buildings because they were out on the grass enjoying the warm weather. He managed to snatch a table in the corner upstairs and pull up the website he'd been recommended. So far...Nothing. Sure, there were a few good apartments but they all seemed to either 

Be far out of his price range  
Or  
Way too far from campus for someone like him who didn't have a car. 

How did people expect to get these things rented out to college students?

His brows furrowed in frustration and by the time he realized he'd been basically glaring at anyone who dared walk by, there was already a wide empty area surrounding him. His face heated at the revelation and he packed all his stuff as quick as possible to get out of here. Great. Now people might think he was unsociable...Well, actually. That was pretty accurate. Just, wrong kind of unsociable.

As soon as he was outside, he breathed in the fresh air, sighing happily. At least, until he remembered the fact that he still didn't have any prospects when it came to apartments. He couldn't rely on Ao to keep driving him. Ao had started having trouble with his eyes lately, it probably wasn't safe for either of them to keep having him drive him every single day. Shin ah sighed, wondering if he should just move into the dorms...As soon as he thought about communal bathrooms and having to interact with any of the people on the same floor as him, that thought flew right out the window. No way would he survive something like that...This was going to be a long day

In Shin-ah's next class he had a surprise waiting for him in the form of a short red haired girl who waved at him. "Over here!" She called. As soon as he got over there she giggled warmly, "Shin-ah? Right?" Before he could ask how she knew his name, she clarified, "I'm Yona. Remember? We met at orientation." Vaguely, Shin-ah knew she was right. There had been a red haired girl he'd seen being cornered by some upperclassmen during orientation so he'd grabbed her hand (Something he was mortified thinking about now) and led her away. Though...He didn't remember introducing himself once he'd gotten her back to somewhere semi-safe. 

His thoughts ended as soon as she pat the seat next to her, "Sit with me? I um..." Her face heated to a lovely shade that rivaled her hair before she whispered, "I haven't made any other friends yet and...You were nice enough to help me so...I'd like if we could become friends." Shin ah blinked in surprise, but...She seemed nice enough. She hadn't pushed him to talk and she'd been so honest with her request. How could he refuse? Without another thought, he sat down next to her

It turned out, Yona was really smart. When it came to her studies she focused and took great notes that she was more than happy to show to Shin-ah whenever he got lost because of how fast the teacher spoke. She even had time to doodle cute little drawings of bunnies around the edge of the paper. It made sitting next to her a blessing, even if Shin-ah had been terrified at first. That and conversation seemed to flow naturally. 

Well...She seemed to speak naturally. Shin-ah, as usual, was more than happy to sit there in silence but she didn't seem to mind. She filled in the silence with polite conversation. And whenever it did come time for Shin-ah to contribute something, he genuinely wanted to. It didn't feel like he actually had to. This was definitely a nice change from usual.

The class itself was a fairly easy one to get through (Despite the aforementioned fast talking professor.) It went by so quickly, Shin-ah hadn't even noticed when everyone began to pack up to leave. Yona had already had her stuff packed in her bag neatly, but she continued to stand around until Shin-ah had gotten everything ready as well. "So, Shin-ah? Do you have another class right now?" He shook his head in response, earning that dazzling smile he'd already learned she possessed easily. "Great! Would you mind coming to get a coffee with me? I'll pay." It must've been apparent by the look on his face that he didn't like coffee since she quickly added, "Orrr....How about a hot chocolate?" At that, he nodded in agreement and followed the tiny girl out of the room.

Walking to get coffee was fast since the coffee place was just a couple buildings over. That and the hot chocolate Shin-ah had ended up getting was amazing. He'd definitely have to remember how to get here after classes from now on. 

Yona interrupted his thoughts with some light conversation, "I'm glad I got to see you again, Shin ah. I feel like I really owe you for the whole...Saving me situation." Shin-ah went to protest but she held up a hand, "Don't argue. You saved me....If you need anything, feel free to ask. Kay?" Shin-ah really wanted to argue the whole 'saving her' thing...But he let it slide for now and decided to let her do what she wanted. 

Yona as it turned out, was very hard to talk out of things when she decided she was going to do them. Shin-ah found this out the hard way when he heard some guys mention how terrifying he looked and how Yona should run before he ate her and Yona proceeded to march right over to them and tell them to apologize. The boys only sputtered, as if in disbelief that some small girl would demand something like that of them. 

Shin-ah tried to pull her away, signing about how this was unnecessary but she stood her ground. One of the guys looked like he was about to say something, but suddenly changed his mind. His apology was brief since he ran away soon after that but the way Yona grinned at him like she'd just conquered the world was definitely amazing enough that he didn't even care about the apology.

"Shin-ah! Did you see that? I scared them! Wait till I tell Ha-" 

She was cut off by a deep voice coming from behind her, "Tell Hak what?" 

The screech she let out was so loud, Shin-ah found himself cowering with covered ears for a good couple minutes before he decided it was safe to return. When he did, all he could hear was a stream of curses coming out of Yona's mouth that he honestly hadn't thought her capable of. At the end she added, "-You're so mean, Hak! You scared off those guys didn't you? You know I can handle myself!" 

Hak...Hak...Where had he heard that name? The man, Hak, sighed as if this was a daily thing, "I know you could have. I was just making sure you were alright. If I let you get hurt what kind of person would I be?" Yona huffed, crossing her arms as she muttered, "The kind who believes in his girlfriend..." Ah, that was it. These two were dating. Yona had mentioned something like that at the beginning of their talking but he hadn't really processed it. And now that he did, he had come to one conclusion.

Hak was a terrifying man.

Shin-ah didn't just mean the way he had scared off those guys. This man was a couple inches taller than Shin-ah, who intimidated people without even trying because of his height, and he had obvious muscles that when matched up with his terrifying glare were sure to scare off anyone who might try to mess with him. It was a terrifying to say the least. The only one who didn't seem afraid of him was Yona, who instead of being scared, looked like she was ready to kick Hak back to wherever he came from.

Yona continued to yell at Hak, who looked like he was completely bored by whatever the current conversation really was. Shin-ah at this point was looking around, wondering if maybe he should try to get out of this. Yona, bless her, soon realized the awkward situation Shin-ah was in and turned back to him, sighing slightly. "Sorry about that. Shin-ah, this is Hak. M-My boyfriend..." 

Oh, that was cute. She'd turned bright red at the mention of the word boyfriend before turning to Hak, "Hak, this is Shin-ah. That boy I mentioned from orientation." Hak raised an eyebrow and looked Shin-ah up and down before holding out his hand for him. 

Shin-ah stared for a few minutes before shaking his hand. To his surprise, Hak cracked a slight smile, "Thanks." Shin-ah only tilted his head in response before Hak elaborated, "For helping, princess over here." He jabbed his thumb at Yona who only responded with an annoyed huff. Figuring it was some sort of pet name, Shin-ah only shook his head and whispered, "I-It was nothing…”

Hak paused, staring Shin-ah down for a moment before nodding with his arms crossed, "I approve." 

Shin-ah furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Approved? What was he approved for? Yona seemed to sense his confusion so she elaborated, "He's saying he approves of you being my friend. Not that he really has a choice." She elbowed Hak in the side as if to emphasis her point and added, “Geez, you’d think he’s my bodyguard or something.” Turning to Shin-ah again, she spoke in a light tone to put Shin-ah at ease, "Anyways, would you like to go get something to eat with us? I promise, Hak does actually know how to behave...Sometimes." Hak's only response to the slight jab was too huff in Yona's general direction, turning away a bit after. 

Shin-ah shook his head a bit, signing out that he needed to go before showing her one of the apartment hunting websites he had pulled up. The small girl's brow raised up as if to question what she was looking at, before she brightened up, "Oh! You're looking for a place to live?" Shin-ah nodded, about to turn away since she understood but he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“I know the perfect place!” A bright smile came onto her face as she continued, “There’s an apartment nearby that a couple of my friends live at! And you’re in luck! One of my friends is looking for a roommate!” A roommate? Typically, Shin-ah wouldn’t agree to something like that. The thought of living with someone else was terrifying to him...But, Yona had suggested it. Yona who was sweet and understanding of the fact that Shin-ah wasn’t the most social person in the world. Yona who wouldn’t try to mess with him...So, despite his worries. He found himself nodding in response.

Now that Shin-ah was outside the apartment building it seemed like this might actually have been a good choice to accept. The building was small but it seemed like a cozy place. The lobby was small with mailboxes to one side and a door leading to the rest of the place on the other. Yona had said that his possible roommate would meet him down here, so he occupied his time by playing with his fingers. It was a nervous tick to keep him from doing what he actually wanted to do, which was bolt from here as soon as he got the chance.

Turning to look at the mailboxes, Shin-ah read off the names of various tenants. Most of the names seemed to be pretty normal besides one that read ‘Kija and Jae-ha.’ and the one he realized, based off of the number for the apartment, was the apartment he’d be looking at. Huh, ‘Zeno’....Why did that sound so familiar?

A door opened up behind him right as he had his revelation. “Hey, sorry bout the wait! Yon-...Shin-ah! You’re my new roommate!” Zeno’s bright smile on his face almost made Shin-ah feel better about the fact that he was not prepared for this sort of revelation..

.Key word: Almost.

“Come on up! I’m so excited to show you the place!” Zeno waved frantically for Shin-ah to follow him upstairs. Taking a deep breath (And possibly sending a quick prayer up to every possible deity that he might survive this encounter), Shin-ah followed him.


End file.
